


Venti Flora

by Chibi_mushroom, suprgrl1995



Series: Dragon Age AU [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins, Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Flowers, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mages, Mages (Dragon Age), Magic, Near Death Experiences, Redcliffe (Dragon Age), Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_mushroom/pseuds/Chibi_mushroom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/suprgrl1995/pseuds/suprgrl1995
Summary: “Speaking of growing up, when exactly did you realize you had magic?""Not long ago. Maybe a couple of years. I learned how to use the wind all on my own, but other things started to happen. Then I accidentally hurt one of our workers. She and her family ran our gardens and landscaping; I don't know how, but they made everything look amazing. Anyway, after it happened, a lot of people talked. Her family was sent away with some money in return for secrecy, but I don't even know where she is, or else I'd go and apologize."-Dragon Age Wayfinder, chapter 17In which one innocent act influences the fates of one particular fishing village.
Relationships: Strelitzia & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Dragon Age AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995337
Kudos: 4





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dragon Age: Wayfinder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328663) by [Chibi_mushroom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_mushroom/pseuds/Chibi_mushroom), [suprgrl1995](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suprgrl1995/pseuds/suprgrl1995). 



“Speaking of growing up, when exactly did you realize you had magic?"

"Not long ago. Maybe a couple of years. I learned how to use the wind all on my own, but other things started to happen. Then I accidentally hurt one of our workers. She and her family ran our gardens and landscaping; I don't know how, but they made everything look amazing. Anyway, after it happened, a lot of people talked. Her family was sent away with some money in return for secrecy, but I don't even know where she is, or else I'd go and apologize."

-Dragon Age Wayfinder, chapter 17

. . .

Strelitzia did not know much about the young Ventus Guerrin. He was the son of Arl Tidus of Redcliffe, who was also the employer of her entire family. He might have been about 12 years old now? Oh yes, and one other thing, he tended to get in a lot of trouble with the supposed bastard son of King Hermod, Terra.

Of what she did know, the rumors tried to fill in the rest. There were also the things that Strelitzia could see for herself. But tending to the grounds around Redcliffe Castle led to very little time actually interacting with the future arl. In a way, Strelitzia did hold some admiration toward the 12 year old. He was curious and took every day in a particular stride. She was almost envious of him too; so lucky to have a kind family, and material wealth to never ask for anything in his life. Not that Strelitzia's family were hard off, by any means. If anything, Strelitzia's family were treated close to the middle of Thedas's social classes- not nobility, but working under them, and getting paid well to do so. But they were small aspects of a much larger picture. The Guerrins could almost do without them, and no one would ever notice.

But she digressed. Tending to the grounds that the Guerrins presided over was a family ordeal. Her parents, admittedly, did most of the work. However, they did allow her and her brother their own little areas to attend to- practice for when they would inherit their parents' positions. Lauriam, Strelitzia's brother, took to caring for the front gates. Strelitzia tended the garden inside the interior courtyard. This garden was almost her pride and joy. Flowers and plants from around Thedas made their homes in that garden, helped by the gifts of seeds some important dignitaries and nobles gave the Guerrins when they came for a visit.

“Strelitzia!” a voice called out to her as Strelitzia was pruning some roses. Out of habit, Strelitzia looked up without a second thought. A part of her jumped in surprise to see Ventus coming toward her. There was an expression on his face that gave away that he was trying to prove someone wrong. Strelitzia didn't need to guess that it was likely due to something Terra had told him. The Guerrins hardly let Ventus interact with anyone else as of late...

It was already evident that the boy would grow into a handsome young man. More than once, Strelitzia had over heard the other maids giggle about how much of a heartbreaker Ventus was going to be. The older ones even boasted that they'd marry one of their daughters off to him if given the opportunity. Strelitzia found it all ridiculous herself- why would you want to marry off children so early? She was almost 15 and the idea of getting married now sounded too intimidating. Why would she give up a life of tending to beautiful flowers only to be trapped indoors with fussy children?

“Strelitzia!” the boy said again, now slightly huffing from being out of breath. “I have a question for you!”

Strelitzia knew her surprise was easily readable on her face- she could feel her own face pale over in a sudden fear of what Ventus could want. She placed her gardening shears on a little loop that hung from her waist before giving her full attention to the future arl.

“What can I help you with, ser?” she politely asked. For a brief moment, Ventus grimaced.

“Is it true that flowers have special meanings to them?” he then asked with a sense of determination.

Today was just a day of surprises, apparently.

Strelitzia brushed a small strand of hair away from her face before agreeing, “Yes, it is.”

“What meaning do daffodils have?”

The boy had been so eager to ask, Strelitzia found herself recoiling slightly. “Why daffodils, young ser?”

“Because…!” he started to say, but faltered. He thought about it for a moment before stomping his foot on the ground with determination. “Because I think they're beautiful and I want to know if they have any special meaning.”

“Well,” the young gardener mused. “They actually represent unrequited love and uncertainty. Some also say that they are associated with selfishness.”

Ven's face immediately fell at this. “Why would they have that meaning? They're so pretty, and they always bloom in the spring.”

“I do not know, young ser.” Strelitzia offered. “I can only tell you what I know.”

“What about those?” Ventus then asked, pointing to the lavender bushes. “What meaning do those flowers have? They smell really nice- I bet they mean happiness.”

Strelitzia offered a small smile. “That is one of lavender's secret meanings.” she agreed. “They are also associated with love, devotion, and peace.”

Ven looked at the gardener and noticed that she was holding something back.

“And?” he questioned.

“And distrust.”

Just like that, Ven's smile fell once more. It was almost amusing in a rather awful way. After a few moments of silence, the young boy looked back up at Strelitzia with a new sense of determination.

“Let me help!” the boy eagerly said to her.

For a moment, Strelitzia blinked. “Help with… giving the flowers meaning?”

“No.” Ven smiled, shaking his head adamantly. “Help you plant them! They may have bad things associated with them, but that doesn't mean that they still aren't beautiful in their own way. I want to help you plant them so everyone can see them!”

“Well, I...” Strelitzia feebly tried to argue, “I was just going to prune today...” But in looking at Ventus's still eager face, she let out a small sigh before adding, “But I think there are some flowers that need to be transplanted at the moment.”

The smile on the future arl's face was so wide and genuine that Strelitzia could not help but smile back at him.

. . .

Turns out, Strelitzia had a lot more flowers that needed to be transplanted than what she thought. Having Ventus to help was not much of a hassle. If anything, it would have gone by a lot faster if he would stop asking her about what flowers were what.

“What's this one?” Ventus curiously asked.

“Snowdrop.” Strelitzia informed him with a patient smile. “There's a rumor that if you crush the bulbs into a poultice, and rub it against your forehead, you'll have an easier time remembering things.”

“Oh!” the boy marveled- his eyes expanding at the idea. He then looked up at the young gardener with a wide grin. “I don't need to do that.” he boasted. “My memory's already really good!”

“Oh really?” the gardener entertained. Ven gave her an even bigger grin and an eager nod.

“You were named Strelitzia because Lady Valentina really loved birds of paradise flowers around the time you were born.” he happily told her.

Strelitzia looked like Ventus had instead decided to slap her. “Ser Ventus, how…?”

“I overheard it a few weeks back.” the future arl told her- his grin still unwavering. “I think it was your birthday, because Lady Valentina was talking to one of the scullery maids, Asher, about how you were born with a full head of red hair that surprised everyone!”

“That's… really impressive, young ser...”

“You know it!” he continued to boast. “Terra always makes sure I know the password to stuff hidden in the cellars so we can steal it later! Just… don't tell him I told you that. Or my mom...”

“My lips are sealed.” she agreed with a gentle smile. Ventus looked back at her curiously, as if to test to see if she was actually lying to him, before a wide smile also appeared on his face.

The duo continued to work well into the day. It was when they were tending to the last few flowers that Strelitzia noticed that Ventus was taking extra care of the flowers he was working with. For a brief moment, there seemed to be a soft glow from the boy's hands as he planted the last flower. The smile on his face indicated that nothing was amiss, so Strelitzia dismissed the glow as a momentary trick of light.

“There!” he happily declared, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his dirty knuckles. Strelitzia took one look at him and tried her best not to laugh.

“Um… Ser Ventus...”

“Uh?”

“You have a little… something, on your forehead now.”

For a moment, he gave her a quizzical look before trying to wipe the dirt off his forehead. Since his hands were still dirty, he only succeeded in making it worse.

“Did I get it off?” he asked- as if he couldn't feel the dirt caked onto his face by now.

Strelitzia chuckled. “Not exactly.” she mused as she started to raise her apron a little, “Here, I'll clean it off for you.”

The boy whined as Strelitzia did her best to wipe the dirt off his face. She even tried to clean up his hands a bit- but without water it was a mild success, at best.

As she replaced her apron, Strelitzia looked over the future arl and laughed again. “You could do with a bath before dinner, young ser.” she grinned. “Least the arl and arlessa will suspect you and Terra were wrestling hogs again.”

For a moment, a look of disappointment crossed the boy's features. But he gave her an agreeing nod regardless. “Thank you for letting me plant some flowers today, Strelitzia.” he even told her. A bright smile stretched onto his face before adding, “It was super fun!”

Strelitzia gave him a smile of her own, giving him a small curtsey out of habit. “Any time, ser.” she quite genuinely told him. She was given another brilliant grin before the future arl spun on his heel to head back inside. A small flicker of thought reminded her of that trick of light she saw, but by the time she gathered her courage to ask Ventus about it, he was already gone.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could get away without OCs for this one. I was wrong, haha. Jo is my Goosebumps OC from yesteryear, and Strelitzia's parents, Acis and Valentina, are also OCs. Thank you for reading this unintentional twoshot!

For the next few weeks, young Ventus became a frequent helper to Strelitzia. She could only imagine it was because Terra as unavailable. But, on the other hand, it was a small relief that the future arl had an interest in nature. It meant that -for now- he had an understanding for the smaller things. Certain things tend to be unseen when you sit up higher than everyone else, after all. Ventus would make a great arl some day, so why did the current arl and arlessa insist on keeping him hidden?

Unfortunately, Strelitzia was going to experience first hand why they kept him away from others.

The day started out as usual and predictable as any other. Strelitzia was asked to gather grape vines for a friend of hers; a basket weaver that lived in Redcliffe's village. The basket weaver, Jo, did not get to visit Strelitzia often, but when she did, she often took her work with her. Today was going to be one of those days with Strelitzia gathering vines, soaking them, then Jo would work her magic into weaving the vines into baskets of all shapes and sizes. But there as something else that Jo wanted to make today. She didn't tell Strelitzia what she was making either.

It took some time before Strelitzia realized what Jo was making. Caught in a hypnotized awe, Strelitzia could not help but stare as Jo worked to weave the grape vines into a circular crown. Her hazed over eyes trained to Jo's long, bony fingers as they expertly worked against rather stubborn materials. It was with a sudden jolt that Strelitzia realized she been staring for too long. A quick blush appeared on her face that Strelitzia hoped Jo didn't see.

Jo was beautiful. At least, she was to Strelitzia. Her shoulder length hair was pulled into a loose braid- naturally a light blonde, Jo's hair looked slightly darker than that at the moment. She must not have been washing it as often. Admittedly, that worried Strelitzia. Jo had been claiming to be more tired than usual now, even occasionally withdrawing from invitations to small parties and celebrations the Redcliffe villagers had. There were even times when Jo would turn down the offer to join Strelitzia in practicing their needlepoint- an activity that Jo had once enjoyed due to the mildly crude things she could stitch with colorful threads.

Thinking about it made Strelitzia scoot a bit closer to Jo. She needed to say something. Anything. She needed to say anything to get these thoughts out of her head.

“What are you going to do with your crown?” she finally asked. She even unconsciously placed a hand at Jo's elbow.

“Dunno.” Jo mused as she looked it over. “Might give it to the most hardworking person here.”

“Arlessa Yuna would look lovely in it.” Strelitzia nodded in agreement. Jo looked over at Strelitzia and gave her a funny look for a moment. The weaver eventually let out a small sigh before continuing her work. Not a word was said between the duo as Jo finished the crown.

“There.” she decided. She smiled a little, but something about it seemed forced. Jo played with the crown in her hands for a moment before looking around the garden. “You know,” she softly said, “Your garden is lovely, Strelitzia.”

“It's not my garden.” Strelitzia bashfully rebutted. “It belongs to the arl and arlessa.”

“You chose and tend to the plants that reside in it.” she said as she placed the crown on Strelitzia's head. “Ergo, it is _your_ garden.”

If there wasn't a blush on Strelitzia's face before, there certainly was now.

Strelitzia did her best to gather her words, she even refused to look Jo in the eye. That was when something in the garden caught her eye and any thoughts Strelitzia would have had were lost.

“Huh...” she mumbled to herself, “That's odd...”

“What's odd?” Jo asked. She tried to look where Streltizia was looking and could not find anything out of the ordinary. Not that flowers had ever been her thing.

Strelitzia was still trying to figure out if what she was seeing was true as she absently replied, “The flower Ventus planted. It's blooming already.”

“Perhaps it's an early bloomer?”

But Strelitzia shook her head. “This flower is supposed to bloom during the winter- not early autumn.” Now curious, Strelitzia got up and went over to the flower in question. She mentally retraced the days to remember if this was the flower she saw Ventus plant that gave off that odd glow. It must had been- that had been a snowdrop. This flower, this odd flower that looked to have a face, was also a snowdrop. Strelitzia would be able to recognize its characteristics anywhere.

She should have immediately walked away. She should have tried to find Ventus to see if he knew of this flower's odd condition. She should have done anything than get down to her knees to better see the snowdrop. It looked back up at her with something that boarded a suspicious expression. Above everything she could have done, moving her hand over to the flower should have been the absolute last. Her curiosity was matched with a rather nasty bite from the flower.

“It bit me.” she remarked as she recoiled, sounding even more surprised than she looked.

“How could a flower bite you?” Jo immediately questioned as she came over to Strelitzia. When she saw the snowdrop, she let out a horrified, “Maker! How in the name of Andraste…?!”

“Not sure.” Strelitzia admitted as she carefully got back to her feet. Her balance seemed a bit off from before, but she chalked it up from getting up too quickly. Jo certainly didn't seem to notice it. “But it doesn't seem to be harm-”

Strelitzia paused mid-word as her mind finally realized that her dizziness hadn't gone away. If anything, it had worsened. Jo noticed when Strelitzia had stopped mid-sentence. There as a small furrow of worry on her face as she questioned, “Strelitzia? Is something wrong?”

“Ven...” was all Strelitzia was able to say before crumbling to the ground.

“Strelitzia!” Jo shrieked as she got down to Strelitzia's side. In a panic, the basket weaver tried to shake her friend awake, but when it did not work, Jo immediately got to her feet and ran inside Redcliffe castle for help. This sudden frenzy made the small snowdrop realize that it had made a grave error. It made a small little purr before gently nuzzling its head against Strelitzia's hand. It didn't mean to hurt her. It hadn't meant to do anything mean at all. Unfortunately, with this one mistake, the little flower had changed the fates of everyone in Redcliffe.

. . .

To this day, Ventus could never recall why he felt the need to go to the audience chamber room. Maybe he knew he was being talked about in that moment. Maybe it had just been another sign of his magical affinity before he could control it proper. Regardless, what he had expected when he walked into the audience chamber was not what he ended up seeing.

There were his parents, Arl Tidus and Arlessa Yuna, holding audience with two men and a woman. The woman and the youngest of the two men looked a lot alike with their wispy pink hair. The oldest of the two men had dark blonde hair with blue-green eyes that reminded Ven of someone else. It took him a moment, but Ven soon realized that this was Strelitzia's family. The woman was her mother Valentina, the older man was her father Acis, and the young man was her brother Lauriam. But where was Strelitzia?

“Is something wrong?” Ven curiously spoke up as he entered the audience chamber. All eyes immediately fell onto him. Tidus and Yuna in particular were quick to pale at the sight of their son.

“There was an accident in the gardens.” Tidus carefully spoke up. “Strelitzia is...”

“Strelitzia is _dead_.” Lauriam cut in. His voice cold as he shot Ventus a dark glare. But it was that last word, dead, that caught Ventus's attention and buzzed in his ears like a persistent fly.

“H-how?” the boy stammered, looking between his parents to Lauriam. It was Tidus who took a few steps closer, but did not leave the grieving family's side.

“One of the flowers… bit her.”

“Bit…?”

“The woman that brought Strelitzia to the healer said that it was one that you had planted earlier this year. A snowdrop.”

“What did you do to that flower?” Lauriam demanded, shooting Ventus a dark glare.

Ven started to back away, his eyes growing wide in fright. “I… I didn't do anything… I was just...”

“Everyone knows that you've been helping Strelitzia in the gardens for the past few weeks.” Lauriam excused. “Everyone knows that bad things happen around you too. You must have done something the flower, didn't you?”

A small gust of wind brushed past them, despite the company being inside. “N-no,” Ven stammered, “I… I didn't… I wouldn't...”

But he had. He could remember that day like it happened yesterday. The snowdrop sapling looked sad and drooping, so Ven had tried to focus his budding magical powers to make it cheer up a little. He didn't think it would actually _bite_ anyone- let alone Strelitzia, who likely would not have done anything to truly provoke it. Ventus looked up at his parents and Strelitzia's family. A sense of determination shown in his eyes as he prepared to tell them all the truth.

When he tried to open his mouth, Tidus beat Ven to the punch.

“Ventus, please go to your room.” the arl requested. His voice sounded broken, wounded, as he said it. Ven's eyes expanded in shock.

“But-!”

“Ven,” Yuna quietly requested, “ _Please_.”

No one in the audience chamber moved while the boy remained frozen in his own shock and guilt. Eventually, slowly, Ventus backed out from the very door he had entered only moments before. If he had been thinking clearer, Ven would have tried to eavesdrop on the audience chamber as he normally would. He did not, and so he would not know of Strelitzia's fate for many years. He spent a lot of that time in guilt. But that was a story for another time.

For now, Lauriam was pissed.

“You're just letting him walk away?! Sending him to his room like… like this is all just some sort of _game_?! STRELITZIA IS DEAD!”

“Uh… Arl Tidus…?” a healer timidly spoke up. No one could recall for how long she had been standing there. Apparently it was long enough to look like she expected Lauriam to lash out at her too. “I came to give word that the girl is actually conscious. We're not sure how, and we honestly did believe her for dead, but she started to stir while the carpenter was taking measurements for the casket. And while she is bit confused at the moment, it seems that she is still in good health.”

“Thank the Maker.” Lauriam sighed before rushing out of the audience chamber. His mother followed a few steps behind him in silence. Acis, on the other hand, was stopped from leaving by Tidus.

For a long time, the two men just stared at each other. They both looked incredibly weary.

It was Acis who said, “You can not hide that he is a mage forever.”

Tidus only looked away in shame.

When the arl did speak, it was in a near whisper as his hand dug further into the groundskeeper's shoulder. “We will arrange for your family to move out of Redcliffe by tomorrow morning. Your family has done a great service to ours for years, so please do not take this as a personal affront.”

“It's always about family.” Acis agreed in a particularly cold voice as he forced Tidus's hand off of him. He started to leave, but paused for a moment. He turned one last time to his arl before adding, “But sometimes you have to let go of your family, arl. Death is permanent, allowing your son to live in a gilded cage is not.”

And with that, Strelitzia's family never served under the Guerrin family ever again.


End file.
